Redfield ratios revisited: Removing the biasing effect of anthropogenic CO 2
Redfield ratios of remineralization are calculated based on chemical data analysis on isopycnal surfaces. The concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon used in this study were corrected for the anthropogenic CO 2 content as estimated with a back‐calculation technique. The corrections increased th...
| Published in: | Limnology and Oceanography |
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| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2001
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.4319/lo.2001.46.4.0964 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.4319%2Flo.2001.46.4.0964 https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.4319/lo.2001.46.4.0964 |
| Summary: | Redfield ratios of remineralization are calculated based on chemical data analysis on isopycnal surfaces. The concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon used in this study were corrected for the anthropogenic CO 2 content as estimated with a back‐calculation technique. The corrections increased the apparent carbon remineralization by 25–30%, thus proving important for the reliable estimation of Redfield carbon ratios in the presence of anthropogenic CO 2 . Best estimates from this study largely confirm the more recently published Redfield ratios of remineralization. The following results were obtained for the latitude range 3–41°N along 20–29±W in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean: C org : P ratio = 123 ± 10; C org : N ratio = 7.2 ± 0.8; —O2 :C org ratio = 1.34 ± 0.06; —O2 : P ratio = 165 ± 15; N: P ratio = 17.5 ± 2.0. These ratios are in close agreement with the average composition of phytoplankton and represent respiration of organic matter consisting on average of 52% protein, 36% polysaccharide, and 12% lipid. |
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